Chicago Fanatics Message Board
https://mail.chicagofanatics.com/

ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
https://mail.chicagofanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=156&t=92021		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Curious Hair [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
He also took a station off the dial by turning 105.9 into a simulcast of 780 so that it would be one fewer station to operate. Bean-counter.
Author:  DannyB [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
I'm sure someone mentioned this but there was a great story in SI some months ago about how he left KMOX / St. Louis in ruins. Some of it was just the general decline of radio but a lot of it was him.
Author:  Curious Hair [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
Even Bernstein mentioned it. Zimmerman basically looked around KMOX, decided too many people worked there, and fired them all. One of them was Bob Costas. I think he also cut their advertising budget, a classic radio middle-manager move.

EDIT: here we go
Curious Hair wrote:
SI finally added Joan Niesen's oral history of KMOX to its library. Let's sit and read about what a shitbird Rod Zimmerman is:

http://www.si.com/vault/2014/09/22/1066 ... f-st-louis

Quote:
As talk radio transitioned, KMOX also aged. Sure, it brought in new, young talent like Joe Buck, Ackerman and others to adapt, but by 2002 the two men whose names were synonymous with the station, Hyland and Jack Buck, had passed away. Hyland went first, in 1992, and after his death nothing was ever quite the same.

WILKERSON: Camelot ended then. The great ride was over. I wish I had treasured that time more than I did, because everything I really loved about it was gone.

ABSHER: CBS desperately wanted to gain control of KMOX, and there were people at the network who were vying to come in here when Hyland was gone. They couldn't force him to do anything; he was making so much money for the network. He did what he wanted, and that was why we loved working there. He protected us from all of the junk and all of the garbage.

[Hyland] had done things for KMOX that an outsider would look at and say, "What on earth?" He put these billboards all over town that just said, kmox. No dial position, no nothing. He knew it was an institution, that it was of the community. It was just a reminder. The first thing [new general manager] Rod Zimmerman did when he came in was cancel all those contracts, the choicest billboards in town.

JACOBER: About two or three weeks after [Zimmerman arrived], he wanted to have a meeting of the sports staff. I made the mistake of inviting everybody, even the people we had part-time. [Zimmerman] walked into the conference room, and his eyes were as big as saucers. He couldn't believe we were paying that many people. About a week later he called me into his office, which was Hyland's office, and he slid a piece of paper to me. There were [eight] names on there. He told me to get rid of them. I had to call [Post-Dispatch columnist and part-time KMOX staffer] Bob Burnes and [former Post-Dispatch editor Bob] Broeg and all of those guys, and Bob Costas, Dan Dierdorf. Those guys were on that list. The next day, it was the story on the front page of the sports [section] of the Post-Dispatch.



Hey! You're fired! Hey! What are we paying for these billboards? Cancel them! So it's not a bit, huh.
Author:  good dolphin [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
remember how he was praised by a drive time host at the Score for getting rid of Dan Mc Neil and hiring Pat Mannelly?
Author:  bigfan [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
His business decissions are all short term in nature.
Author:  Hussra [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
Q.Bovifs wrote:

Image

This is the face of the guy who is ruining Chicago Sportsradio.


projects the authenticity of a used-car salesman with the trustworthiness of an ambulance chaser.
Author:  Hussra [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
bigfan wrote:
His business decissions are all short term in nature.



in the long run....we're all dead.

anyone in radio or newspaper biz these days shouldn't be thinking long term anyhow.
Author:  bigfan [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
Hussra wrote:
bigfan wrote:
His business decissions are all short term in nature.



in the long run....we're all dead.

anyone in radio or newspaper biz these days shouldn't be thinking long term anyhow.


the reason you are a CEO or Top exec of a region is to have a longer plan rather than year to year.

I agree he fears B & B though because he bills big numbers with them and thus while I do think a better show is easily achieved, that still would have a bump in the road, that is what Rod fears more than anything. A bad quarter, which is why you have longer term plans than year to year.

The issue will come will Terry actually retires and they team up Leary with Bernstein and you watch the ratings take a nose dive of epic proportions.
Author:  Beardown [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
One of the ways he goes on the cheap at the Score is the part time update guys for middays and afternoons. 2 less full time salaries. I'm sure the total for all the part timers is much less pay than 2 full timers would get. Plus two less people of whom you give benefits.
Author:  Curious Hair [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
I'm not sure those all update guys are even directly employed by CBS Radio. Some/all of them are contractors with Shadow Traffic.
Author:  Beardown [ Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
Curious Hair wrote:
I'm not sure those all update guys are even directly employed by CBS Radio. Some/all of them are contractors with Shadow Traffic.


That's my point. Then sometimes they pull drinky from producing to do it. Probably for his producer salary. Just doing something different that day. But they save by having some snot nosed, part time producer to take drinky's answering the phones job for like $40 for the day or something like that.
Author:  No Clever Moniker [ Mon Feb 09, 2015 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
CBS Chicago has revunues of over $128M, a bottom line that puts them first in this market. Zimmerman has more than just WSCR on his plate and I doubt he really cares about the day-to-day operations.

I sense that when the last round of contract negotiations at WSCR took place the younger afternoon host traded money for securing his time slot presently and into the future. When Boers leaves he'll want to keep his slot and have a voice in his new partner, or if there will be a new partner.

As for Mac, as time goes by his negotiating strength wanes. We can think its about ratings but Rod is thinking about revenues, and so long as those remain strong (and costs down) then he's content with whatever content is being produced. Its too bad that ESPN operates in a similar fashion because Chicago deserves better and will support better if there is a viable alternative. Instead we have a status quo where neither entitiy, CBS or ESPN, care about content because the money comes too easy.
Author:  bigfan [ Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ROD ZIMMERMAN: ITS TIME TO STEP DOWN
I agree that Bernstein doesnt negotiate much. He responds once to the original offer maybe with some other perks....

Ever notice how little time off he takes? As if he has some fear his job will be taken if he leaves?

He knows its not him that makes the show.
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 6 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/